48 Hours - Moments Between Moments
by Let-The-Wookiee-Win
Summary: Han Solo lies recovering from his recent brush with the grim reaper. Whilst his medication allows his body to recuperate, his mind recalls moments from his past, some happy, some sad, some...just a little bit naughty. Moments between moments...
1. Chapter 1

_Continuing the theme...having enjoyed writing 48 Hours I wanted to capture some more moments in the lives of Han and Leia Solo. Moments between moments we saw on screen as well as moments between moments created in my mind's eye. So here it is, Han's meds are playing tricks with his mind and scenes from his past replay while his body recovers from it's injuries..._

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Han had heard it said that a dying man's life flashed before him in the moments before death. He didn't know if that was true, and hoped he wouldn't find out for sure for a long time to come, but his painkillers and sleeping pills seemed to be inducing a similar effect. 

For one moment, he thought he had been visited by his cousin, Thracken Sal-Solo, but that passed and he was back on board the Falcon, chuckling to himself at the farm boy's jealous retort to Han's questioning his chances with Princess Leia Organa.

Han left the boy in the pilot's seat knowing his beloved ship was safely locked on course and intended getting himself a well earned mug of caf, if he hadn't caught sight of the aforementioned Princess seated at the dejarik table. 

Han studied her a moment, knees drawn to her face, arms hugging them tightly, forehead resting against her knees. He poured two mugs of caf and, standing over her, placed one on the dejarik board. It's clatter startled the resting Princess and she flinched away from the figure looming over her, eyes wide in terror.

"Steady sweetheart." He said, watching the colour return to her cheeks. "Brought you a cup of caf."

"I...I'm sorry..." She apologised, sitting forward and hugging the mug. "Thank you."

"So, what are you, like seventeen, eighteen?" Han asked, sitting to her left.

"Nineteen." She replied with a slight, cautious smile.

"Nineteen. And a Senator already. Wow!" He commented, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Does my age bother you?" She queried.

"No, it's not your age sweetheart." He replied, planting an ankle across one knee.

"My gender then!" She assumed, annoyed.

"No, not your gender either." He laughed. "I just don't have a lot of time for politicians."

"You mean you don't have a lot of time for the laws they pass." She guessed, with a knowing nod.

"The thing about laws is, they don't do a whole lot for a guy like me." He said, shaking his head.

"They aren't intended to, for the lawless." She sneered.

"Just trying to make an honest credit." He shrugged.

Leia turned her attention back to her mug, her eyes focussing on the dark swirls of liquid within. Lost in thought, she was unaware of Han rising until she suddenly felt his presence standing immediately beside her. She skittered aside nervously.

"I was just getting you a blanket." He told her defensively and dropped back into the seat beside her, the overhead locker door swinging shut. "What'd they do to you anyway?"

"Nothing. I just...really it's nothing." She stammered, rubbing her temple in annoyance.

"They did something. I know Imps." He said, watching her face.

"It was nothing. Just unpleasant. Not what you're thinking." She told him.

"And what is it you think I'm thinking?" He asked with a smirk.

"That they..." She struggled for the words. "_Used_ me."

Han barked a laugh, then turned serious. "They didn't, did they?"

"No, of course not!" She snapped. "I told you, it was nothing."

"And I told you, I know Imps!" He reminded her.

Leia eyed him. She was going to have to go through debrief. They'd want to know everything; what she observed, what she endured. It might be helpful to rehearse her speech before she had to meet with High Command. She sighed inwardly and let her hands drop to her lap.

"Before you two moon jockeys showed up, I'd been escorted to my cell by four stormtroopers. Two waited outside while two led me into the cell. Then one positioned himself behind me in case I tried to attack the one in front who was going to unlock my binders. I guess they just thought they'd take the opportunity to have a little fun." She said with a shiver. "The guy in front raised my hands above my head and told me they were going to check I wasn't 'packing' anything."

She then described to Han's growing disgust how they had proceeded to run their hands over her body, taking particular pleasure in groping her backside, breasts and between her thighs before shoving her roughly back onto the slab that served both for seating and sleeping purposes. 

Looking at her as she paused, Han could imagine the sense of euphoria the stormtroopers must have felt. She was young, probably beautiful when she wasn't dressed in something resembling a white sack, a Princess and likely as not still a virgin. A fondle was probably as close to rape as they dared get with a prisoner of the greatly feared Lord Darth Vader. There was a taste in Han's mouth he determined to be bile.

"As he was leaving, I heard him say '_she's clean_'." Leia said, picking up the caf mug again. "Ironic really, because I've never felt so dirty!"

Han's nose wrinkled and he averted his gaze. When he looked back in her direction they were in the fortress base on Yavin IV prior to the battle that would destroy the first Death Star.

Han was loading the crates filled with reward credits onto a replusor cart ready for transporting to the Falcon as the Princess approached. She waved her entourage to a halt as she neared him, her face sternly judging him.

"You have your reward." She stated.

"That's right." He added another crate to the cart. "Feels a little...light though, if you ask me."

Leia eyed the crate he had plucked from the floor and shook at her.

"The Alliance doesn't have the financial backing of the Empire Captain." She told him. "You have all the credits available to us."

"Still a little light if you ask me." He repeated sourly.

"That's why I brought you this." She extended her hand, a small disc held between forefinger and thumb.

"I don't take IOUs." He smirked, accepting the disc all the same.

"It's my personal marker." She informed him. "Whatever the outcome of the battle we face, that marker will provide handsomely for your contribution to my rescue."

"Your personal marker..." He rotated the disc between his fingers.

"Consider it a parting gift." She said. "Goodbye Captain. Clear skies."

His eyes clouded and the humidity of Tatooine assaulted Han's senses.

"Let's go. And don't forget the droids." He heard Luke order, then she was kneeling between his legs, wrapping her arms about his waist, pressing herself to his torso, her head against his shoulder.

He wondered what Luke must be thinking.  
When he'd last seen the kid he was still starstruck and absorbing every word from Leia's lips as though they could single-handedly cure every ill in the Galaxy. From what Chewbacca had told Han, Luke had grown up some since that last meeting but still, seeing the girl he had fallen so completely for in the arms of another man - and a man he considered his friend - must stir emotions even in a would-be Jedi.

Han circled Leia's shoulders with an arm, frowning at the smooth texture beneath his touch.

"What the Hell are you wearing?" Han asked, realisation dawning. "Aw Leia! He made you a slave didn't he!"

Han's head snapped in the direction of Chewie's bellow.

"_You_ were supposed to be taking care o' her!" He accused, Chewie's response was swift and to the point. "Oh! So you think it's okay for her to be paraded like one of Jabba's whores do you?"

Chewie barked his reply.

"Well let me tell you something pal..." Han started.

"Leia was perfectly safe." Luke assured Han, placing his jacket around her shoulders.

"How'd you figure on that?" Han demanded.

"Simple." Leia replied. "Because I can take care of myself."

"You have any idea how bad he coulda hurt you?" Han asked to the blurry figure in front of him.

"It was a calculated risk." She replied quietly.

"Calculated by who? The Wookiee who was supposed to be taking care of you? The kid? Lando? The droids maybe?" Han questioned, angrily.

"Yes. All of them..." She answered, her hand slipping behind his head, fingers sinking into his hair and tugging his face toward hers. "...Them along with someone else who loves you."

Before he could argue any more her lips had found his and were demanding his full attention. He gave it gratefully, his eyesight suddenly clearing to stare into her dark brown irises. Her hand was on his cheek and she was doing her best to read the expression on his face.

"Leia." When Han spoke her name it was as both question and answer.

Then she was kissing him, lips urging him to respond. And respond he did, his lips crushed against hers, allowing himself to be guided back onto the bed. Her hands tugged insistently at his shirt, content only once he had broken their kiss long enough to allow her to drag the shirt over his head and deposit it somewhere across the room.

They had made out any number of times but somehow, time alone together long enough to make love had so far eluded them. It had been important for Han to let Leia come to him when she was ready and they had made efforts to set time aside, however, somehow something always managed to come between them.

Han had resigned himself to the fact that perhaps they just weren't meant to be together in that way, when an opportunity to be completely alone with Leia presented itself. He had taken the initiative and after so much posturing it seemed perhaps now they were finally about to embark on that final step of their journey.

"Wait!" Han said, breathlessly.

"What...what is it?" Leia asked, her voice croaky from the earlier attack on her by one of Han's old associates.

Han edged away, pushing himself onto one elbow. "Are you sure about this? I mean, assuming 'this' is what 'this' feels like. Are you sure it's what you want? I mean really sure?"

"I...I thought you..." Leia started, sounding flustered.

"I do!" He interrupted. "I just...I want to be sure that _you_ do. So, do you?"

Leia's face softened, her hand pressed against the crotch of his pants. "Do I seem like the kind of woman who doesn't know for sure what it is that she wants?"

It took every ounce of Han's stamina not to moan, groan or do something unspeakably childish in his pants before her hand started fiddling with the stubborn belt buckle around his waist.

"Am I going to have to do this all on my own?" She asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Han held a finger aloft, rolled onto his back and managed to shrug himself from the restrictive confines of his pants, tossing them across the floor before rolling back to Leia's side wearing that infuriatingly delicious grin. 

He snaked an arm beneath her shoulders, his free hand taking the opportunity to explore the silken flesh of her thighs with a soft caress. After a moment of adjusting to their positions, Leia's fingers returned to toy with Han's genitals until he felt compelled to cover her hand with his own and show her exactly how he liked to be touched and handled.  
Before the point of no return could take him to the edge of insanity, Han rolled onto his back dragging Leia with him to sit astride his stomach.

"Am I going to have to do this all on my own?" He asked, repeating her words as his hands fingered the edge of the shirt she was wearing.  
His shirt.  
Looking so damn good on her.

Leia had grown in sexual confidence in the time they had spent together, but she still suffered from anxiety when it came to revealing herself to him, so it took Han a while to cajole her out of the shirt and he opted to hang it on the bedpost where it was within easy reach if she wanted it. 

He resisted the urge to tell her how beautiful she was.  
He had a theory that no woman wanted to hear that the man she was with was potentially only there because of the way she looked. 

Her slightly stooped posture and the light flush to her cheeks told him she was losing the battle with her nerves. Nothing for it, Han was going to have to take charge.  
Wrapping an arm around her waist, Han pushed himself into a semi seated position with his back against the headboard.

"You okay?" He asked her.

Leia nodded, the hue on her cheeks deepening.  
Han drew his knees up, his firm member sandwiched between them, and tilted her toward him.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked.

"I'm sure." She smiled, leaning in to kiss him again.

"Then relax." He chided softly.

"I _am_ relaxed." She insisted.

Han threw his head back and laughed, earning a deep scowl from Leia. That glare would have shrivelled a lesser man, but to Han it was better than foreplay.

"Sweetheart, you don't know the first thing about relaxing." He said, hands caressing her arms.

"So...Teach me." She smirked.

"Haven't I been trying to do just that?" He grinned.

"Try a little harder. I want to learn." She told him, arms circling his neck. "I want to learn it all. And I want it to be you who teaches me."

Han's eyes roamed Leia's face. There was no trace of fear, just as there had been no hint of sarcasm in her words.

"First, I want you to understand it's not gonna be all 'fireworks' and 'wow' and 'did the galaxy move for you'." He shook his head. "Not the first time."

"You're not just making excuses are you?" She asked.

Han pointed his hands at his chest, his face wearing a wounded expression. Leia laughed, leaned forward and kissed him one more time.

"We've danced around this long enough hotshot." She said, her voice soft and sensual. "I want this more than words can say. I want it now and I want it with you."

Han's grin crawled higher up the side of his face and he wrapped his arms around Leia, kissing her mouth, her face, her neck, her breasts. He helped to ease her onto his erection, showed her how to undulate providing them both with maximum stimulation. A well placed thumb rotated against her sensitive nub, bringing her to the climax he'd led her to believe she wouldn't experience. 

Han rolled her onto her back and, once they had adjusted to this new position, began a slow rocking motion each thrust a little deeper than the last. 

Leia felt as if she would burst into flames, then just as a second orgasm rippled through her, she felt Han shudder and another warmth fill her. For a moment she thought he was going to collapse on top of her, but Han was experienced enough to be able to hold his own weight. When he did eventually slip from her depths, he rolled to the other side of the bed, taking Leia with him and holding her tightly to his side. They slept in each others arms and when Han woke he lay staring up at the ceiling his thoughts wavering between undiluted joy and barely restrained disgust. 

Their relationship might have been edging toward this moment, but Han now found himself wondering if it hadn't just been a selfish act. And one which he would ultimately come to regret.  
His focus on the unidentified spot on the ceiling blurred and he found himself now looking into the blinking, blue irises of Leia's brother, Luke.

"She's not coming." Han gave Luke his familiar cock-eyed smile. "Is she?"

"Of course she's coming." Luke dismissed the comment with a shake of his head. "What do you mean she's not coming."

"Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other an' I met a lotta people along the way. Trust me, I know when I'm being stood up!" Han rolled his eyes.

"She's just executing her bride's prerogative." Luke assured his friend, spotting Winter motioning nervously for his attention from a side room. "Probably can't get her hair just right. Why don't I go see what the hold up is while Chewie here reminds you of Alderaanian protocols and procedures."

Luke smiled nervously at the assembled guests as he hurried across the alter to talk with Winter.

"Pst!" Lando's annoying voice hissed in Han's ear. "She coming or what?"

"Of course she's coming!" Han growled, rounding on his some-time friend. "Why the Hell wouldn't she?"

"No reason. No reason at all." Lando mumbled sitting back in his seat.

"What's up?" Wedge Antilles whispered. "It's not like the Princess to get cold feet."

"Not you as well!" Han snapped. "She probably can't get her hair just right."

Luke returned with a hesitant glance around his friends.

"Apparently Leia wants to talk to you." He said to Han.

"Talk?" Han questioned. "Now?"

"Oh that can't be good. That can't be good at all." Wedge mumbled.

"What would you know?" Han scowled.

"You may not have noticed, but you're about to be married." Wedge pointed out. "Brides, Alderaanian brides in particular, don't usually want to talk to the groom right before the ceremony just to tell them how good they look in their pants."

"Thank you for your input!" Han snarled, turning his back on both Wedge and Lando to talk to Luke. "Where is she?"

Luke indicated the way and Han followed.

"A month's salary says it's off." Han heard Lando say to Wedge.

"Not if I know Leia. You're on!" He heard Wedge reply before being ushered up a flight of stairs to a dressing chamber.

After a reassuring arm slap from Luke, Han rapped on the door.

"Leia? You in there sweetheart?" He called.

"Come on in." Came the reply.

Han paused, considered, then carefully entered the chamber with his back to the room.

"What are you doing?" Leia asked.

"Isn't it bad luck to see the bride on her wedding day?" He asked.

"I think it's only bad luck if she's in her dress. And I'm not." Leia replied.

Han snickered and waggled a finger at her from over his shoulder.

"I'm not falling for that one sweetheart." He told her.

The diminutive figure of Princess Leia Organa moved to stand in front of him.

"I'm really not." She confirmed.

Han exhaled slowly as he looked down at her. She was wearing the white silk wrap he had bought her and her hair was down.

"You're really not." He noted, something sickly settling in the pit of his stomach.

"Han, we need to talk." She said and returned to the stool she'd been sitting on at the dressing table.

"Ahuh." He acknowledged. "I got that message already."

"Han, won't you look at me?" Leia prompted.

"Let's just get this over with shall we huh?" Han spun on his heels, thumbs hitched in the belt around his waist. "You finally figured out you'd be better off without me and it's off. Right?"

"Is that what you think I want, to call it off?" She asked.

"Isn't it?" He queried. "Isn't that why you wanted to talk to me?"

"No. That's not it at all." She smiled.

"Then..." Han looked puzzled.

"I want to know that this is what _you_ want." She told him.

"I thought you..." He started.

"No." She rose. "This isn't about me. It's about you."

"Seriously Ley! You gotta do this now? With a thousand guests we don't even know waiting for one of us, probably me, to screw up over the wedding vows?" He groaned.

"We never talked about marriage. Not really. Not until Isolder put in an appearance and I _need_ to know that this is what you want and not just a knee jerk reaction to someone encroaching on your perceived territory." She said.

"My perceived what?" He half-growled. "Is that what you think? That I see you as my property?"

"This isn't about me, remember." She chided.

Han scratched his cheek. "Okay. Look. Whilst I find your timing questionable, I'll admit that maybe if circumstances had been different I wouldn't have been doing this right now. But that doesn't mean I don't want to be here."

"But given the choice, you wouldn't?" She pressed.

"You can't say that. You're twisting my words." He tried to reason.

"I'm trying to make sense of them." She replied.

With a sigh, Han dropped onto the dressing table stool and tugged Leia to stand between his legs.

"Okay Leia. What's really going on here?" He asked.

She rested her hands on his shoulders, a sad smile creasing her lips.

"You're a free spirit Han Solo. Used to having your own way, _doing_ things your own way. Towing the line was never your strong point." She stroked his ever errant hair behind an ear, her eyes caressing his face. "I remember you saying one day you'd like to be married. Maybe have a couple of kids too. Well, you know my feelings on that score."

"And I told you, I'm good with no kids." He assured her.

"Children aren't the issue." She shook her head. "I was raised to believe that marriage was a sacred institution. That to enter into it lightly was a sin. If we're wrong about this. If we stand in front of those 'thousand' guests we don't even know and take our vows, I _have_ to know it's what we both want. What we both believe in."

"I'm not a hearts and flowers kinda guy Leia. If that's the kind of man you want then you're barking up the wrong Corellian." He told her. "But I did come to realise if it wasn't Isolder then it would be someone else. You have power and influence. You're beautiful...you're young, intelligent, willing to fight to the death for what you believe in. There must be at least a dozen men in the congregation alone who'd trip over their own feet for a chance to be in my boots. Only a complete fool would walk away from that."

Han rose and walked toward the door and despite herself, Leia turned to watch him go.

"I'm a lot of things Leia. Smuggler...pirate...criminal...scoundrel." He watched her blush. "But I'm no fool. You want to hear the words? Fine, I'll say the words. I want to be here. I want to marry you. Now, will you put on that dress I know cost a small fortune, fix your hair up real nice and come downstairs so I can make that dozen men in the congregation green with envy!"

"I love you." She told him.

"I know." He replied.

Han's head swam and for a moment he had the sensation of falling, then he realised he was lying on his back, looking up into the small face of his baby daughter. Jaina's dark, earnest eyes blinked down at her father, chubby fingers clawing at her bottom lip. Holding Jaina aloft he heard Leia's voice say. "She's changing every day now, isn't she?"

"She certainly is." He grinned, extending his arms fully and watching Jaina compensate for the altered position. "Would you just look at that balance! I'm telling you sweetheart, she is gonna make one Hell of a pilot when she grows up."

Han looked over to where Leia lay curled on the sofa just as she rolled onto her back and pressed a cool-patch to her forehead. He pulled Jaina down to his chest and pushed himself into a sitting position. He heard Jaina's whimper and cradled her tenderly, soothing her back with one large hand.

"I dunno about you sweetie." Han cooed. "But I think mama ought to go get herself checked out at the Med Centre."

"I'm fine." Leia insisted.

"You've been vomiting three days straight." He pointed out. "_Plus_ you just got back three days ago from the Uradi Outpost. You know, the same Uradi Outpost that has been quarantined. Ravaged by a sickness bug I heard."

"I do know. The same as _you_ know I was cleared by Medical on my return." She rolled back onto her side to glare at him. "Do you seriously think I'd risk Jaina or Jacen becoming infected. Or you for that matter?"

"Wouldn't hurt to get checked out again." He mumbled, kissing Jaina's forehead.

"I don't need to get checked out again because I already got checked out again." She sighed and sat upright, slowly. "They said I'm fine."

"So this is what, space sickness?" He asked. "Because you have the strongest constitution I've ever come across when it comes to space travel."

"It's not space sickness." She said. "Or a sickness bug."

"Then what? Because you're scaring the kids." He said, lowering his voice. "And you're worrying me too."

"I've told you, I'm fine." She assured him. "Nothing that won't pass in time."

"Well that's okay then!" He snapped.

Jaina whimpered again and Han rocked her gently. "I know sweetie, mama's being obtuse."

Leia arched an amused eyebrow. "Do you even know what 'obtuse' means?"

"Sure." He shrugged. "I heard you call your diplomatic colleagues it enough times."

Leia laughed heartily then leaned back and closed her eyes, swallowing back bile. When she opened her eyes, he was sitting beside her his face etched with concern.

"I promise you, I'm okay. It's just..." She bit her bottom lip and looked away.

"Just what?" He asked when she wouldn't meet his eyes.

Leia slid a finger into her daughter's hand, revelled in Jaina's tightening grip as the infant guided the finger into her mouth to gum ferociously.

"Leia!" Han demanded.

Pools of molten chocolate gazed up at him. Then her head shook knowingly.

"You just better pray it's not twins." She said simply. "Not unless you want to go back to being solo, Solo!"

The shift was slight, but it was there and Han's hazel eyes just stared disbelievingly into Leia's now misty brown pools.

"Can't be." He breathed, dragging his eyes from Leia's. "She can't be..."

"I'm sorry." The medical droid stated. "The baby _is_ stillborn."

"You're _sorry_!" Han barked. "That's your pathetic excuse for an apology! You're _**sorry**_!"

"Han." Leia chastised softly and accepted the cleaned, wrapped baby into her arms.

"No! This is wrong! This is just...wrong!" He insisted.

"We both knew that something wasn't right. We just chose to ignore the warning signs." Leia gazed down at the seemingly sleeping babe.

"You thought you knew better." He accused, an angry finger waving at Leia. "This is _your_ doing!"

"If that's how you want to see it." She said calmly, cradling the tiny bundle.

Han's breathing filled the room.

This pregnancy had been the first they had truly planned.  
Han's haulage business was a moderate success and, after all the years of hard and often exhausting work, the New Republic had finally been fully established. With an excellent team around her, Leia had felt the time was perfect for them to have another child. 

Jaina, the first of their twins to be born, was one hundred percent her father's. Jacen, Jaina's twin, had his mother's sensitivity but craved the love and support of his father. Anakin, a year younger than his twin siblings, lived very much in his own world. One which involved fixing every mechanical object he could lay his hands one. Even one's that had yet to be broken. 

Although she'd never admit it verbally, Leia longed for another daughter. One with whom she might form a closer bond than her eldest child. 

Almost from her conception Hannay, as they had decided to call her, had been a less than pleasant experience. Leia had suffered from constant bouts of both nausea and vomiting and spotted blood throughout. She went into a slow labour at seven months. So slow, that neither she nor Han realised it was true labour until it was too late.  
By the time Leia arrived at the Medical Centre, labour had progressed too far for surgery and an examination determined their baby to be dead.

Giving birth to their stillborn child was excruciating for Leia. Refusing pain relief or assistance from the Force, she endured the experience in an effort to excise the guilt she felt at not listening to her own body and seeking expert advice when there might still have been time to save their child.  
Holding the tiny, perfectly formed baby in her arms, Leia felt only pain at their loss and a greater love and appreciation for all that they still possessed.

"It's just not right." Han breathed, sliding his arm around Leia's shoulders. "It's not supposed to be like this."

"Sometimes, this is all there is." She said, snuggling into his embrace. "Everybody's waiting."

"What?" Han asked, confused.

"Luke. The children. Winter. Chewie. They're all outside, waiting for news." She reminded him.

"Let them wait!" He snapped. "I can't see them right now."

"They're our family." She reminded.

Han's mouth moved, but he made no sound. Leia lifted her hand to stroke his cheek.

"I think the children should see her." She suggested.

"You can't be serious!" He exclaimed.

"I think it would help them to understand." She reasoned. "I think it would be a way for us all to grieve. Together."

_Understand_. Han thought. _How? When I don't even understand?_

He held onto his wife a while longer. Held them both in the same strong arms that had held her and their twins, the same strong arms that had held her and their son Anakin. The same strong arms that would hold her for as long at there was breath in his body. 

When he felt composed enough, Han left the suite to a sea of eager faces in the next door family room.  
Chewie's growl was the first to greet his ears, followed by a cacophony of shouts from his children. His smile was weak as he perched himself on a bench and indicated for his children to come close.

"Why's Mom so sad?" Anakin asked.

"Jaina, come here sweetie. Jace, you too son." Han said solemnly.

"What's wrong Daddy?" Jaina asked as Han gathered his children close. "Is it Mom?"

"No sweetie, it's not your Mom." Han assured her.

His eyes drifted briefly to Luke and Winter before returning to Jaina, Jacen and finally Anakin.

"Thing is...well..." Han cleared his throat. "You know how we told you we'd be bringing the new baby home soon?" Han swallowed and licked his lips. "Well...you see the thing is...she just wasn't ready to be born yet."

He heard Winter's gasp and saw her hand fly to her mouth.

"Daddy?" Jaina moved in closer to her father's side and placed an arm around his shoulders.

"The thing is..." Han said. "Hannay...she was just too small...she wasn't ready yet...kids, I'm so sorry, she didn't make it."

The words tumbled from him, accurate and concise and somehow utterly inappropriate but at the same time it was all he could say.

"Oh that poor, dear girl!" Winter exclaimed.

"Is there anything we can do? Anything at all?" Luke asked.

"Mon Mothma." Han answered, thinking. "Leia would want her to know. Ackbar too and Carlist. Lando I suppose. Wedge...I dunno, a whole bunch of people I guess."

"We'll organise it all." Winter assured him, resting a comforting hand against his shoulder. "You should be with her. Leia needs _you_ now."

"Can _we_ see Mom too?" Jaina asked. "We want to. Don't we boys?"

Jacen and Anakin agreed readily.

"Good. Because she can't wait to see all of you. You go on in. I'm right behind you. Be there in just a minute." His attempt at a smile was half-hearted at best, then he turned to Chewie, Winter and Luke. "I..."

"There's nothing you need say." Winter spoke up. "It's Leia who needs you. Go on, off you go."

She shooed him away, taking charge as Winter always did. Almost in a dream Han drifted back into the suite and watched as Leia held their dead baby and explained to their children how the infant had been too weak to survive, how she hadn't suffered, how she just simply hadn't woken up. He was as entranced by her in that moment as he had been a thousand times before.

In the blink of an eye, the scene was gone and he was sitting across from the therapist Leia had insisted they both see in an effort to repair the damage he had inflicted on their marriage.

"You see this as a waste of time." The therapist stated flatly.

"I see it as a waste of money!" He countered.

"Your wife believes you both need this in order to move on." She responded.

"So my wife has been brainwashed. You should be proud of yourself." He argued.

"Do you love your wife?" She asked, consulting her pad.

"Why else would I be here wasting my time and my credits." He answered smugly.

"Money plays an important part in your decision making process, doesn't it?" She queried.

"I didn't marry her for her money if that's what you think." He told her tartly.

"I didn't suggest that, you did." She replied, and placed a tick on her pad.

"Look lady, what is it you want from me, really?" He asked. "You want me to let my heart bleed all over you about my lousy childhood. Fine. I had a lousy childhood. There. I've said it. Are we done now?"

"I want what you want. For you and your wife to be able to resume intimate relations." She ticked another box on her pad. "Would you describe yourself as a deeply sexual man?"

"Would I what?" He almost exploded.

"Would you say you crave a certain level of sexual fulfilment?" She asked.

"Okay, I'm done here." Han pushed angrily to his feet and prepared to leave.

"That's how your wife sees you." She added hurriedly and Han fell back into the self conforming chair he had just exited. "Corellians have, I believe, a reputation when it comes to matters of intercourse and intimacy."

"Best in the Galaxy." He muttered, Leia's words tapping out a rhythm in his brain.

"Your wife is concerned about how long your relationship can withstand a sustained period of abstinence." She said matter of factly.

"It's different with Leia." He said.

"How?" She queried.

"It just is." He shrugged.

"Tell me." She pressed.

Han sighed and thought. "She doesn't see a Corellian. Or a pirate, or a smuggler or any of the other words I've heard used to describe me. She just sees...me, I guess. A man trying to eke out a living the best way he can. Sometimes I'm up. A lotta times I'm down." He allowed a smile to tug at the corner of his mouth. "When I'm up, she's the one right there beside me celebrating. And when I'm down, she's there encouraging me, pulling me back up. I guess that's why it's different with Leia." Han's face turned sombre. "Because she loves me."

The therapist smiled and closed her pad.

When Han looked up, Leia was crying. Not just crying, but crying uncontrollably. He flew to her side, breathing heavily.

"What...? What is it? What's happened?" He demanded. "Jorj? Is it Jorj?"

She whimpered as she nodded, her face streaked with tears.

"Aw honey!" Han folded his arms around her, pressed his lips to her temple and closed his eyes against the obvious agony she was experiencing and his own building sense of pain and loss.

Her hand clawed at his cheek until he pulled away to look at her, puzzled. She slowly moved her shirt aside, cradled upon her right breast was the impossibly tiny form of their prematurely born son, Jorj.

"He...he's off ventilation?" Han exclaimed.

"He's off everything." Leia snuffled back her tears. "You want to hold him?"

"I..." Han looked at the baby nestled to his mother's breast. "Hell yes!"

Leia indicated for a medical droid's assistance and the droid extracted the infant from Leia's embrace, placing him to Han's chest.

"Skin to skin's best." Leia said, helping to slide the baby inside Han's shirt. "For body warmth. Plus he gets to know your unique scent."

"My unique scent?" Han teased.

"We all have one." Leia pointed out, one hand wiping away her tears whilst the other soothingly stroked their baby's back through Han's shirt.

"I knew that." Han said, a soft gasp escaping his lips. "Would you look at that! He's trying to suckle me."

He chuckled, covering Leia's hand over Jorj's back. "You know something sweetheart. I think he's gonna be all right."

Leia's head was against his shoulder, warm and loving.

"Sure he is." She said softly. "He's a Solo."


	2. Chapter 2

Han groaned. His hips felt constricted and not in a good way. Whatever she was doing to him wasn't entirely pleasurable despite the warm liquid seeping through his urethra.

"Solo?" Leia's voice...at least he thought it was Leia's voice...intoned.

He mumbled something unintelligible and felt the light touch of a hand against his brow.

"Solo? You awake?" The voice queried.

Han's eyes fluttered open. Then closed. Then opened again to look up into the smiling face of his wife.

"Finally." Leia said and caressed the hair against his forehead. "You've been asleep such a long time, I was starting to worry."

"I was dreaming." He smiled back.

"I hope it was nice." She soothed.

"The best. You were in it." He told her.

Leia laughed. "Must have been an alternative universe."

"Nah! I couldn't have gotten that lucky in two different time periods." Han dismissed.

Leia settled herself on the bedside stool and slipped her hand inside his. Dipping her head, she planted soft kisses on the back of his hand and rested her cheek against it as she uttered a silent prayer.

"Wifely concern." Han noted sceptically. "I must be worse than I thought."

"Just grateful you're not." Leia corrected, holding onto his hand. "It could have been so much worse. Do you have any further recollection of the accident?"

"Not much." Han admitted. "I remember I flipped the 'speeder. And voices. Other than that it's all a bit of a blur at the moment."

"The authorities are using the dashboard recorder to establish a full timeline." She said. "But before you ask, it wasn't your fault."

"Now I know I must be in trouble if you're quoting my own line back at me!" He grinned. "So, what happened?"

"A couple of kids. Too much throttle, not enough experience." She explained. "They'd been jockeying for position with half a dozen other 'speeders before they set their sights on yours. Came at you from below, mistimed their acceleration and hit the peddle with just a little too much gusto. The front of the 'speeder took the full impact. You suffered a broken pelvis and both ankles were smashed. _But_, incredibly, there were no internal injuries and there's no reason why you shouldn't make a full recovery."

"What aren't you telling me?" Han asked.

"I doubt you'll be dancing a Corellian Jig anytime soon." She replied with a wry smile.

"I'll rephrase. What aren't you telling me?" He repeated.

Leia exhaled slowly.

"Leia." Han prompted and she nodded, accepting the inevitable.

"Jarik hadn't secured his restraints so when the 'speeder flipped he was thrown out." She swallowed and licked her lips.

"I told him to buckle up." Han muttered, rubbing his temple. "I'm sure I told him to buckle up. Like I tell all the kids. All the time. They even make fun of me over it."

"Han, it was _not_ your fault." She reassured him.

"You know, they say it's not the fall that kills you." Han turned his head to look her in the eye. "It's the landing."

"Then I guess he's real lucky." Leia squeezed Han's arm. "He has his own suite down the hall."

"He...what...?" Han asked.

"He hasn't come out of this unscathed. But he's alive and he's getting the best medical care possible." She said with a gentle smile.

"How bad is he?" Han queried.

"Pretty bad." She replied, solemnly. "His neck was broken, along with a number of ribs and his right wrist. They've fused his bones but they need the swelling to decrease before they can assess any nerve damage."

"I want to go see him." Han said, attempting to push himself into a sitting position.

"You're going nowhere." She stated, a hand firmly pressed to his chest.

"All I need is a repulsor chair." He insisted.

"What you _need_ is to lie still until your medics say it's okay to move." She told him.

"So, go get them in here." He demanded.

"Han, you're being irrational!" She said, struggling to keep him still.

"Leia, I need to see that he's all right!" Han yelped as a searing pain ripped through his abdomen.

"See?" Leia buzzed for a medical droid. "Bet you've popped your synthflesh or something."

"Ley!" He gripped her arm, tightly.

"Now you listen to me flyboy, you're going nowhere. I'm keeping tabs on Jarik the same way I am on Jagged and Mara too. If anything happens, I'll be the first to know. And you're second on the list. So, you just lie back and let the nice droid re-dress your wound and I'll go see if I can get an update." She turned a fierce glare on the droid in question, pointing down at Han. "If he so much as twitches a muscle you have my permission to sedate him."

Han smiled sweetly at Leia as she left the suite, then turned to the droid.

"Now that the ball and chain's out of here, what say you help spring me from this joint huh?" His grin faded as the droid produced a hypodermic. "Ah, you gotta be kidding me! What, they can fit you with a restraining bolt but they can't give you guys a sense of humour?"

Han was in a state of sedation before Leia even reached Jarik's suite. She was denied access, but was able to establish that the boy was responding well to treatment before she returned to her husband's side.  
She smiled as she scooped his hair from his forehead. He really was the cutest thing when he was asleep.

In his mind's eye Han was staring, open-mouthed across the Falcon's cockpit at Chewbacca. The Death Star was to their right, on its approach to Yavin IV.

"You cannot be serious!" He exclaimed.

Chewie's answer was swift, his head bobbing as he spoke.

"Yes I _do_ know what they're up against." Han confirmed. "That's why I'm high-tailing it outta here before we end up getting dragged in too."

Chewie barked his disgust forcefully.

"That is the lamest excuse I have ever, _ever_ heard." Han exclaimed.

Chewie barked his reply.

"Did you see the way those stuffed shirts looked at us...well, at me at least. It was like they were looking at something they'd just trodden in!" Han growled.

Chewie argued with his assessment.

"No. Maybe _she_ didn't look at me like that." Han agreed. "But that still isn't a good reason for turning back."

Chewie rumbled another response and Han humpfed.

"Hmm. Well okay." Han grumbled. "It's a reason. Maybe not a good one, but it _is_ a reason."

Han considered his options. He could continue on his way, make good time and pay off Jabba the Hutt. And have Chewbacca chewing his ear off for the rest of his days.  
Or he could turn back. Join a fight he had no place in and maybe, just maybe, earn the respect of those same stuffed shirts who so obviously looked down their noses at him. Not to mention a quieter ride with Chewbacca. 

Han sighed inwardly. Chewbacca was right about one thing. If there was one thing likely to stop Han Solo in his tracks it was a pretty girl. And in this case the pretty girl Chewbacca was referring to stood every likelihood of getting herself blown to bits without Han's expertise.

"Well?" Han barked. "What are you waiting for? Turn the ship around!"

In a heartbeat, the scene changed and the night sky above Yavin IV had rarely looked more peaceful.  
Inside the abandoned temple the festivities continued. But outside, on the edge of the jungle, the last Princess of Alderaan stood alone gazing up into the darkness. Han regarded her silently from his place in the undergrowth.  
Despite losing everything that defined who she was, her home; her family; her planet, she still held a regal bearing. A Princess in more than only name, but in deed and fortitude also. 

Her gaze lowered and Han shrank back into the shadows. She was unable to see him, he was certain, but all the same she seemed for a moment to be looking not just at him but right into his soul. Then she folded her arms across her chest and started, slowly, back toward the continuing party.

"Leia! Hey Leia! You seen Han anywhere?" Luke bounded up, excitedly.

"No Luke, I'm sorry I haven't." She smiled sweetly.

"You coming back to the party?" He asked, eagerly.

"I can't." She said apologetically. "We have to plan the evacuation of the base."

"Oh." Luke tried and failed not to look or sound crestfallen.

Han rolled his eyes. Could the kid _be_ any more obvious!

"Well..." Leia's eyes were scanning Luke's face. "Perhaps just a few minutes more."

"Really?" Luke's excitement was enough to make Han want to vomit.

"If I could offer you some advice Luke." Leia suggested. "Don't listen to all that Wedge Antilles has to say. He _is_ known to exaggerate."

"I know that." Luke replied guiltily as they started to walk inside.

At the last moment Leia stopped, turned and once again looked directly to where Han was hiding.

"Something wrong?" Luke asked, searching the dark recess she was looking toward.

"Just reflecting on how things might have been without the timely intervention of your friend. I hope he knows how very grateful I am." She turned her attention to Luke, smiling serenely. "To both of you."

"Yeah." He was beaming back at her, his cheeks burning.

Han mentally tut-tutted and made a note to have a birds-and-bees talk with the kid before he went and did something completely embarrassing. 

He stood for a moment after they had gone and turned Leia's personal marker about in his hand.  
He'd come to find her with every intention of giving it back, but holding it up in front of his face he found himself smiling at the hologram of the young woman.  
Maybe he'd hang onto it. Who knew, maybe one day it would bring him riches beyond compare.  
Or if nothing else, it was something to taunt the pretty girl with.

The dark night had brightened into fluorescent lit day aboard Home One, the giant cruiser Carlist Rieekan had sourced from somewhere to house and transport Rebel Alliance personnel until a new base could be secured. 

The ship's Mess Hall provided basic food rations, tolerable caf and a safe haven for fairly decent conversation.  
It also gave Han Solo the perfect opportunity to eyeball the young Luke Skywalker who had been stirring his caf for a full three standard minutes whilst trying not to salivate into it.  
Han tracked the young man's eyes across the Hall. He was either considering his options with a beefy Bothan, which Han thought unlikely, or he was again lusting over the petite form of Princess Leia Organa of the erstwhile planet Alderaan. 

Han averted his eyes lest any of the other current occupants of the Hall take it upon themselves to investigate his gaze.  
The personal marker Leia had given him suddenly felt warm in his pants pocket. From beneath his brows he glanced first at Leia, intently studying her comm padd, and then at Luke, intently studying Leia. And still stirring his caf, Han noted.

The best lesson he thought he could teach Luke was not to prevaricate as it was just such an action that was likely to get a guy shot between the eyes.  
With his usual cocky swagger, Han strode over to the vacant chair at Leia's table and swung himself onto it, sticking both legs up and crossing his ankles on a second chair.

"This seat taken?" He asked.

"Apparently so!" She snorted, eyeing him before returning to her padd.

He watched her before suggesting. "Romance."

"Excuse me?" She arched a perfect eyebrow above a deep brown eye.

"Your choice of reading material. I'm guessing it's historical romance." He grinned.

"Tell me Captain, is there any point?" She asked, tipping the padd against her chest.

"To what sweetheart?" He asked, still grinning that infuriating grin.

"To you." She sneered.

Han threw back his head and roared with laughter.

"I'm just here to add unrestrained pleasure to an otherwise dull and dreary day." He told her.

Her look would have withered a lesser man. But somehow, Han liked it.

"Isn't there somewhere else you could find to sit." Leia sighed, glancing around at the half empty room.

"Well sure." Han agreed. "But none with quite such an attractive view."

Leia's chest puffed as she inhaled deeply and prepared to berate him. Then she noticed he was looking past her. Her eyes followed the direction his were taking to the figure of a fellow Alderaanian. A blonde Leia recognised as Lieutenant Karda.

"I believe she's married." Leia reported in the hope of dashing Solo's fancies.

His eyes followed the blonde's behind as it swayed past them to a table well away from the others. He returned his attention to Leia only after his neck groaned and threatened to snap.

"Doesn't usually stop me." His infuriating grin turned lascivious.

"She's also Alderaanian." Leia advised.

"Even better. She'll have realised it doesn't pay to be picky." He said, waggling his eyebrows.

"You're despicable!" Leia spat.

"Whatever it takes to get by." He commented with a shrug.

Leia glowered, pushed to her feet and stormed out of the Mess Hall. Han couldn't help but smile to himself. She'd got it nearly as bad as the kid had. Except, Han had a feeling it wasn't the kid she'd got it bad for. His smile slowly faded.

"What d'you go an' say to her?" Luke demanded from his side.

"Huh?" Han looked up, bemused.

"Why must you always do that?" Luke sank into the still warm seat Leia had left.

"I didn't do nothing!" Han insisted sulkily.

"It's like she can't bear to be around you." Luke observed, slightly puzzled. "Whenever you get near her, she runs a mile."

"Maybe it's my shave balm." Han mumbled.

"Maybe..." Luke agreed, frowning as he thought. "But..."

"Look, don't sweat it kid." Han rose, annoyed with himself. "Her Worhsipfulness and me, we're poles apart that's all. I gotta get back to the Falcon before Chewie spits a hairball!"

He stormed away, angry with himself not Luke. Why did he let Chewie talk him into this mess in the first place. That furball sure had a lot to answer for!

He never reached the Falcon. In his dream he was now sitting opposite General Carlist Rieekan having been requested to escort the aforementioned Worshipfulness to a meeting.

"Last time you asked me to pilot the Princess somewhere I got a cup of caf in my face for my trouble." Han said, referring to their staged argument after returning from another mission.

"This time will be different." Rieekan confirmed.

"We run outta caf?" Han asked.

Rieekan snorted a laugh.

"The meeting will be strictly...off the record." Rieekan chose his words carefully.

"For whom?" Han queried, pointedly.

"There will be an overnight stay and all expenses will be covered by the Alliance." Rieekan assured him.

"What's the catch this time?" Han pressed.

"There is none. You fly her in. She meets with her representative. You fly her back. You see? No catch." Rieekan's smile was almost genuine.

"You know, just about the only good thing my old man taught me is if it seems too good to be true, then it probably _is_ too good to be true. So I'll ask again, what's the catch?" Han persisted.

Rieekan sighed.

"The representative Her Highness is to meet may think he's meeting her on a more...romantic level." Rieekan advised cautiously.

"You want me to take her on a _date_?" Han asked exasperated.

"No, no." Rieekan shook his head. "The feeling is not reciprocated."

"So she's leading him on!" Han assessed. "That is one dangerous situation to get involved in."

"Which is why I would consider it a personal favour if it were _you_ to provide her with secure backup." Rieekan explained.

"Me?" Han queried, almost affronted by the suggestion.

"You have a way of offering a sense of clarity to often clouded situations." Rieekan said. "I believe Her Highness respects your often-times candid assessment of certain positions. And I suspect her contact will view you with a level of respect also."

"You mean I'll intimidate him." Han grinned. "Little guy is he?"

"He represents a large consortium who's sustained and substantial contributions have been greatly appreciated." Rieekan corrected.

"A sleaze then. Thinks the Princess owes him more than just her 'verbal' gratitude." Han nodded, he knew the type.

"Is that a 'yes'?" Rieekan asked.

"_All_ expenses?" Han asked, considering.

"Subject to the usual submissions and checks." Rieekan agreed.

"And the Princess? _She's_ good with this?" Han queried.

"A personal escort was her idea." Rieekan confirmed readily.

Han could almost feel the possibilities between his fingers.

"You have a deal General." Han extended his hand which Rieekan shook vigorously. "_But_, you pull a stunt like the last time and I swear, it'll be the last you see of me."

"You have my word." Rieekan smiled and Han had a feeling he'd just been suckered again. The feeling intensified when he arrived at the Hangar to find the Princess, looking relaxed in a dark jumpsuit and all-concealing jacket, chatting to Luke. Her laughter and beaming smile faded when she saw Solo approach.

"You? You're my escort?" She questioned.

"The one and only." Han replied mischievously.

"Rieekan realises how important this meeting is, doesn't he?" Leia asked, an eyebrow arched annoyingly.

"Said you needed the best, so here I am." Han held his arms wide in demonstration.

"_I_ could always take you." Luke offered, way too readily in Han's eyes.

"That's very sweet Luke." Leia smiled at him affectionately, a hand resting lightly on the kid's arm Han noted. "But Han's right. He is better suited to this assignment."

Luke's face betrayed his attempt not to appear disappointed.

"He is, after all, far more expendable than you." Leia added, pecking Luke's cheek with the lightest of kisses. Grabbing her bag, she headed up the Falcon's boarding ramp.

"Ever get the feeling you're outstaying your welcome?" Han grumbled.

"She didn't mean that. You know she didn't." Luke said. "It's just her way of...well, I guess of keeping you at arms length."

An expression crossed Luke's face. One that spoke of understanding and recognition.

"Nah!" Han dismissed the comment and the thought with a friendly arm slap. "She's just being her Royal Pain-in-the-Backsideness. Consider yourself lucky you're not comin' with us. I got a feeling I'm in for a bumpy ride. See ya in a couple of days. If I make it back alive."

Han rolled his eyes and grinned. Luke acknowledged the sentiment, but Han could tell the spark of realisation was still there. He could also tell it would take more than just a few protests to the contrary to change Luke's mind. 

Han's 'bumpy ride' turned out to be smoother than he expected. The Princess spent most of the journey immersed in her comm padd while Han spent it beside Chewbacca in the cockpit.  
At their destinatio, the accommodation was amongst the most luxurious Han had ever experienced. They had a suite consisting of a single sitting area, a dining area and two en suite bedrooms, all elegantly and expensively decorated and furnished.

"You're sure Chewie's happy staying on the Falcon?" Leia asked, dubiously.

"Sure he is. Besides, he's going through a moulting stage and I somehow don't think that guy down on Reception would appreciate the extra cleaning." Han answered, circling the room checking out the facilities.

"Everything to your liking?" Leia queried.

"No dancing girls?" He asked with a frown.

"I'll be sure to speak with Rieekan when we return." Leia laughed.

"You know, your whole face changes when you do that." He observed. "You should do it more often."

"I need to prepare for my meeting." Leia said, blushing. "You're at liberty to come and go as you please. Just, no dancing girls in the apartment. That clear?"

Han took the opportunity to take a look around the complex, taking in the light, bright atmosphere. This was not his kind of place. Han liked the dark. Easier to hide. Easier to be anonymous. 

He remained out as long as he thought appropriate for a Princess to make herself presentable before returning to the suite. He was surprised to find Leia still in her bedroom, humming as she readied herself. When she did finally emerge, Han was stunned. 

Han Solo was a man familiar with women. He was especially familiar with beautiful women. And if a woman was lucky enough to be called beautiful by Han Solo, then she undoubtedly was.  
There'd been occasions when he'd thought Leia beautiful.  
As he admired her now though - standing in a full length gown of the purest white, her hair bound softly about her face, enough make-up to accentuate her features not overpower them – he had rarely seen a female of _any_ species look more radiant. 

Han's lip twitched, started to curl into his characteristic grin and stopped.

"You...look...nice..." He stammered.

"Thank you." She blushed again. "Although 'nice' won't secure the kind of funds I was hoping to take back to the Alliance with us."

"About that." Han stepped forward, frowning. "How far do you propose going to secure these funds?"

"I don't plan on sleeping with him if that's what you're asking." She stated.

"I'm not...I mean, it's none of my business if you did...I just...I mean that Rieekan suggested there might be a point at which it would be prudent for me to step in. I wanted to be clear when that point might be." He explained.

"Trust me. You'll know." She advised.

Han acknowledged her with a nod and awaited the arrival of a number of dinner platters beneath shiny covers. He hoped his sidelong glances went unnoticed while she meticulously arranged the platters around the table. She had an eye for this kind of planning, probably due to her upbringing.

The platters had barely been arranged when a knock at the door indicated the arrival of Leia's guest.  
The rotund figure of a man at least twice Leia's age waddled into the suite, surveying his surroundings like there was a bad smell in the air. Han had the unpleasant feeling, the smell was associated with himself.

"Your Highness." The man bowed as low as his portly frame would allow.

"Greegor." Leia's smile was as soft and lovely as Han had ever seen it. And every bit as false.

She extended her hand and the man slobbered over her fingers before slipping the cloak from his shoulders and thrusting it in Han's direction. Han reluctantly accepted the cloak and dropped it where he stood.  
The man, Greegor, paid no attention. He was too busy undressing the Princess with his eyes.

_Yeah, well, so long as that's as far as it gets pal! _Han thought.

"We ordered a light supper." Leia was saying as she led the three of them to the table. "You must tell me all your news."

Han glided between them and held a chair for Leia. She took it without thanking him.  
Greegor took a seat and watched with a frown as Han sat also.

"Your servant is joining us?" Greegor asked.

"The name's Solo. Han Solo. You may have heard of me." Han extended his hand.

"Should I have?" Greegor asked, ignoring the hand.

"Key player in the Battle of Yavin." Han said, noting Greegor flinched at neither the planet name nor the word battle. He wondered if this man had any interest in the Rebel Alliance at all, or if his interest was purely centred on the Young Princess.

"Han has been a great asset to the Rebel Alliance." Leia continued. "And a great friend to me."

She was looking at him. Han could feel the warmth of her eyes on him from across the table.

"Hardly what one might call suitable company for a Princess such as yourself my dear." Greegor gaffawed and patted the Princess' hand.

Leia, Han saw, removed her hand and beneath the cover of the table wiped it with her napkin.

"You were going to tell me all your news." Leia prompted, uncovering a platter and helping herself to seafood.

"My time is lamentably short." Greegor confessed. "Let's get down to the matter at hand, shall we? You need funds."

"The Alliance always needs funds Greegor. You know that." Leia smiled at him again.

Han had seen that look a thousand times, she was humouring the old codger.

"But what of _your_ needs my dear?" Greegor was loading his plate with whatever he could reach.

"My needs are second to the Alliance." Leia picked through her food, tasting a few morsels.

"There must be something." Greegor said.

Leia was staring right at Han rigid with, what on any other person would look like fear, with Leia it was merely a look of concern. Han took a moment to scan the scene with his peripheral vision. Greegor's hand was beneath the table, presumably caressing Leia's knee...or thigh...or...

"Pass the salt." Han said to Greegor.

"What?" Greegor jumped at the sound of Han's voice.

"I said pass the salt." Han indicated the condiment to Greegor's right.

Straightening, Greegor removed his hand and passed the salt pot to Han who admired it's shape in his hand.

"You know, where I grew up, some of the kids used to throw salt over slugs to watch them dissolve in squirming, wriggling agony." Han commented.

"Really. Sounds a charming place." Greegor said, nose wrinkling.

"Kept the slugs away." Han said and placed the pot on the table.

"How's your son, Pfillay. Is he still looking for husband?" Leia asked, slicing some meat.

"A husband!" Han snorted. "Don't you mean a..."

Leia's pointed glare silenced him.

"Pfillay has been so unfortunate in his love life." Greegor shook his head. "I do so wish he could meet someone and settle down, his happiness is so important to me. Tell me, is your man spoken for?"

"Her what?" Han exclaimed.

"Han is what you might call 'a ladies man'." Leia replied, placating both parties.

"A pity. He fits my son's usual physique perfectly." Greegor noted. "Are you sure Your Highness wouldn't be prepared to share?"

"Now just a minute buddy..." Han started.

"He's teasing." Leia assured Han. "You _are_ teasing, aren't you Greegor?"

Greegor gaffawed loudly again and Han suspected he was going to be the butt of a few more jokes before the evening was over. It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last that Leia's 'circle' found him amusing. No matter how pissy it made him. 

Greegor continued to make small talk, Leia continued to avoid his questions as well as his wandering hands and Han continued to endure the scene like the good little lackey he was supposed to be. But something was going to have to give soon and it wasn't going to be Han.

"With regard to funding..." Leia eventually said, swinging the conversation her way. "What we seek is a safe base from which we can plan our strategies against the Empire."

"I may be able to offer a solution." Greegor's eyes flitted briefly to Han. "If we may speak in complete confidence. You understand my concerns regarding security of course."

"I don't leave her side." Han stated.

"Her?" Greegor questioned, indignantly. "I find your level of disrespect for Her Highness to be unforgivable."

"Greegor..." Leia started.

"_My_ disrespect!" Han interrupted. "Your slobbering over _Her Highness_ turns her stomach almost as much as it does mine."

"Han!" Leia scolded.

"And another thing, for someone who's time was 'lamentably short' you sure can eat!" Han said, pointing his knife in Greegor's direction. "You have any idea how much this little shindig has set the Alliance back?"

"Absolutely nothing." Leia said, glaring at Han who quickly swallowed back any further comment.

"Her Highness funds these 'little shindigs', as you call them, herself." Greegor sneered.

"_You_ fund these things? I...I didn't...I didn't know that." Han muttered, his eyes holding Leia's.

"My father left a considerable fortune. I access small amounts at sympathetic outlets. That's how I fund meetings such as this." Leia explained.

"And they're okay with that? Rieekan and the others, I mean?" Han queried.

"I'd do more. If I could access the funds." Leia replied, fiddling with her cutlery.

"Don't you do enough? Give enough?" He pressed.

"How much is enough?" Her eyes bored into his. "For freedom?"

Han blinked and the room was gone. He was stumbling through the corridors of the Falcon following the sound of voices from the cockpit.

"Chewie, slow down! I can't understand you!" Leia implored. "Now, slowly, what happened?"

"Two thugs jumped me." Han slurred from the cockpit doorway.

Chewbacca growled and waved his arms.

"You're in my chair." Han thumbed an order for Chewie to move to the co-pilot's seat.

"Where do you think you're going?" Leia blocked his path.

"It's my ship. I'm the pilot. I'm gonna fly us outta here." Han said.

"No. You're going back to the medical bunk and Chewbacca can fly us out of here." Leia insisted.

"The guys that jumped me know you're here." Han said, blinking away his double-vision. "We need to be outta here."

"You heard the man." Leia told Chewbacca before leaning down to him. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of Han."

Chewbacca growled softly.

"He means a lot to me too." Leia assured him quietly, squeezing Chewie's arm then guiding Han back to the medical bunk.

"You need to take your shirt off. Pants too." She told him, turning to empty the contents of the medical supply chest as Han pulled his ripped shirt over his head.

"I heard about women like you." He said, disguising the pain with humour. "Get a guy naked then take advantage of him when he's at his weakest."

He as good as collapsed face down onto the bunk, hugging the thin pillow beneath his head.

"What did they hit you with, any idea?" Leia asked, kneeling beside him and scooping the hair from his eyes.

"Sticks. Whips. Something sharp." Han answered.

Leia examined his back. He'd certainly been whipped with something, though some wounds she saw had clearly healed some considerable time before.

"Some of these are deep. I don't think there's enough synthflesh on board for all of them." She noted. "Soon as we get back to base you'll need to go to Medical."

"They'll heal." He replied.

"_No_ arguments, straight to Medical." Leia repeated forcefully.

Chewbacca barked a warning to prepare for take-off.

"Should be me up there." Han mumbled.

"And how do you propose to fly the ship when you can't even sit down?" Leia chided. "Now, I need you to try to lie still. I'll be as gentle as I can, but this is probably going to hurt some."

"I hope you warmed your hands." He muttered.

"Lie still." Leia repeated.

She perched on the edge of the bunk and began applying a soothing antiseptic ointment over his wounds. He'd been beaten severely, severely enough to have put most men into a medical facility for some considerable time. Han Solo, however, was not most men.

"Feels nice." He mumbled. "Anybody ever tell you, you've got healing hands Princess?"

"That's just the ointment." She replied, moving from one laceration to the next starting at his neck and moving lower to tend to his torso. "You're lucky they didn't break any ribs."

"Yeah. I'm counting my blessings as we speak." Han flinched.

Leia half-smiled, half-winced and moved lower to just above his waist.

"Almost done. Once the ointment's dry I'll cover the deepest cuts with synthflesh." She said.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Han asked.

"This? It's just rubbing in a little cream." She replied, edging lower before continuing. "My father."

"Liked you rubbing his back did he?" Han teased.

"He was a very hands-on leader." Leia was at his hips, where they tapered to his buttocks. "He insisted I learn to be a hands-on leader too."

She paused, ashamed to be admiring this man's nakedness before slipping off the bunk to fetch the synthflesh. She sanitised her hands and visually identified the first wound to cover.

"This will probably sting a little." She said, teasing a strip of synthetic flesh from the container. "In a couple of days it'll itch like Hell."

"You sound like an expert." Han groaned as the first strip adhered to his own skin.

"You learn a lot in triage." Leia mumbled and blew gently onto the flesh she'd applied.

Han's body tensed and she again admonished herself for admiring the shift and play of his muscles.

"These other scars. Where did you get those, can you remember?" She asked as she continued to apply synthflesh from the stock available.

"Some, maybe. But mostly uh-uh." Han answered.

"Shrike?" She queried.

"Shrike. My dad. Guys I tried to cheat. Guys I didn't!" He replied. "They're nothing. Just a few marks on my flesh. Who I am, it's all up here."

He tapped a finger against his head then returned his arm beneath the pillow. But not before Leia saw the ligature marks around his wrist. Clearly he'd been bound, or shackled, probably gagged too before being given this beating. 

This was no attack on Han's life. Or hers for that matter. It was a reminder. A punishment for a debt unpaid or a job incomplete. And not for the first time, Leia found herself wondering what kind of life this man had been forced to live. And how many more 'Han's' were in a similar position.

"One day..." She muttered, making a vow to herself that she would see to it that this kind of existence would end.  
One day.

Han sighed, both on the bunk and in his medical suite and opened his eyes. Leia's gentle, smiling features greeted him.

"You still here?" He asked groggily.

"I'm like the proverbial bad credit, I keep turning up." She said, squeezing his hand which she held tightly within her own.

"I'm glad." He grinned sleepily. "For a minute there I thought my luck might change."

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"My ass itches." He moaned.

"Apart from that." She smiled.

"I want to go home." He answered, honestly.

"Well..." Leia licked her lips. "I can't promise that just yet. But I have been able to persuade them to let you go see Jarik."

"Seriously?" Han struggled to push himself upright.

"You need to stay still." Her hand urged him to stay put. "First, the droids will need to remove your catheter and then they're not going to be satisfied until you pee into a bottle for them."

"Pee into a bottle!" Han exclaimed. "Man! That's even more demeaning than the tube!"

"They just want to know that your kidneys are working and that there's no infection." She assured him.

"But...peeing into a _bottle_..." He groaned.

"There, there, my big brave soldier!" She soothed, patting his hand.

"No need to be patronising." He sulked.

Leia laughed, rose and cupped his face before lowering her lips to his.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"For being my big brave soldier, naturally." She replied, kissing him tenderly once more. "And that was for not dying on me. I look terrible in black."

Han couldn't have disagreed more. There had been a black gown, with gold embroidery, she'd worn before she'd sent him looking for that Scarlet Hark dame. It would have been inappropriate at the time to tell her how hot she looked. It was probably just as inappropriate now, since at the time she had been in mourning for Alderaan.

"Hey..." He tugged on an arm, keeping her from leaving. "Thanks. You know. For being here."

Leia shook her head. "You don't get rid of me that easily."

"They say how long I gotta stay off my feet?" Han asked, hitching to get comfortable. "'Cos I got a business to run ya know."

"Jacen's taking care of the business. So you don't need to worry about that." Leia said.

"I hate being stuck in here!" He moaned.

"You mean, you hate not being in control." She corrected.

"I have one job to do and that's to look after you. And I can't do that from in here." He argued.

"You have more than one job and, in case you've forgotten, I can take pretty good care of myself." She countered.

"Well...I still hate being stuck in here." He grumbled, running a hand over his face.

"It won't be for much longer." She promised. "Once the tube's out we can start thinking about getting you home."

"Oh and about Jacen, we need to sit that kid down and have a talk with him before he goes and does something we're going to regret." Han announced.

"What kind of something?" Leia asked, worried.

"Something he told me at the beach...I can't remember exactly..." Han grimaced, trying to recall their conversation. "Something about Tenel Ka. Something about the Wedding. He's...that's it!..He thinks he's got a way into the Palace to rescue Tenel Ka before the Wedding."

"He what!?" Leia exclaimed, a hundred hellish scenarios forming in her mind.

"Says she can't marry this other guy because she's married to him. You got any idea what he's talking about?" Han queried.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Leia demanded.

"I only just remembered. Besides, _you_ made the droids sedate me!" He reminded her. "Why? What's the problem?"

"The problem is the Wedding's just over a week away." She glared. "And he's already started a run. A back-to-back, with the last port of call being Hapes!"


End file.
